Packaging and containers makes up about 56 percent of all plastic waste. About 75 percent of all of the waste comes from residential households!

• It is estimated that 30 million tons of containers and packaging were recycled in 2005.
• The U.S. EPA estimates about 31 percent of all municipal solid waste in 2005 was generated from packaging related material. This constitutes cardboard boxes, plastics and Styrofoam. This breaks down to about 39 million tons of paper/paperboard, 13.7 million tons of plastics and 10.9 million tons of glass.
• The average growth rate of container and packaging waste through 2010 is estimated to be about 1.8 percent annually.
• About three million tons of Styrofoam, which is often used to package products, was produced in 2000. Out of the three million tons produced, 2.3 million tons was thrown away.
• About three percent of all U.S. energy consumption comes from the production of packaging materials. Using recycled material for the production of packaging goods takes less energy than creating the product from the materials natural state.